Patacones

At the school, students learned to make fried green plantains with the moms of the students.
Rural school visit

We are visiting a small rural school. Classes are not in session right now but the students are here to greet us.
Finca Luna Nueva

This sustainable farm started in 1994 with exports of ginger and turmeric but it opened to tourism in 2008. There are 150 fruit species here, but this is regenerative farming. Plants are mixed toЧитать далее
Arenal Volcano

Finally, a good view of the volcano today in La Fortuna. Added are some pics of the central square.
Stunning flowers

I love the flowers and trees here. Check out these beauties. More to come.
Total score

We are staying at this cute hotel in La Fortuna. But, the bonus is that it comes with a day pass to use the thermal springs in their sister hotel. So we spent the afternoon bathing in the thermalЧитать далее
Sloth sighting

We lucked out and found a sloth today. Took this pic with my super zoom.
Hanging bridges

Today we trekked in a fantastic hanging, bridges park. The owners receive ecosystem services payments from the government, and that helps them create an ecotourism activity that is minimally impactingЧитать далее
Lake Arenal

We are taking a shortcut to La Fortuna by way of lake Arenal. The lake is man-made and used to generate hydropower. Until 2012, it was the largest man-made lake in Costa Rica. As we cross, we normallyЧитать далее
Cloud forest

The afternoon was spent in the cloud forest—high elevation rain forest. As one would expect, it was dense and green and very wet. This is secondary forest, reforested after the country encouragedЧитать далее
Today’s flavors

Todays new flavors are tamarind and guanábano. Some had them the other day but now they have switched to try the other. The white drink is made from a green fruit that is white and fleshyЧитать далее
A few more canopy tour videos

Here are a couple more.
Canopy tour videos

Here is a sample of videos. I was able to record each student and will send to them.
Canopy tour

We completed the original canopy tour …first in the WORLD…and it was a blast. Founded in 1994, it shows some signs of age and there are now newer and bigger. But this one offers some uniqueЧитать далее
Candy making

Sobano is a traditional candy made from sugar cane and peanuts. It starts by boiling down sugar cane and the mixing in a wooden bowl. You see the students making it here.
Trapiche

This machine is used for making sugar cane juice. Really large ones are pulled by horses, so this is just a small one. The taste is so great.
Horseback riding in the mountains

We went on the most beautiful horseback ride through the mountains of Monteverde. We had a few nervous riders, but everyone did great. What a great way to see the landscape.
Santa Elena

We are staying in the small village if Santa Elena and it will be home base as we explore Monteverde. The students are happy with their rooms at this funky hostel.
Finally in Monteverde

It was a long drive on slow and windy streets but we have made it to Monteverde. This area was founded by Quakers who wanted to avoid the draft. The mountains are incredible and we will see them byЧитать далее
Passing the Pacific

We are en route to Monteverde but we have to pass right next to the Pacific Ocean, which we will play in later. You can almost see the island of San Lucas, which once was a prison (until 1991). Now itЧитать далее
Long days

Our days are pretty action-packed here in Costa Rica. I don’t waste any time, and there is not much opportunity for naps. Am I wearing these students out?
Farmer breakfast

We went to my friend, Sergio‘s, family farm for a campesino breakfast. This is what the locals would have packed when they went into the farm years ago to work all day. The dishes wrapped in bananaЧитать далее
Bonfire time

We closed out our night with a bonfire and s’mores. Of course, we had to bring the Hershey bars from home, but we enjoy sharing this American tradition with locals.
Cooking competition

Students are making part of the dinner for tonight by preparing guacamole and pico de gallo. This is a competition, and we will judge on the basis of taste and presentation. Job well done! We alsoЧитать далее
Tortilla class

Students learned how to make tortillas without a press. It is a challenge to keep them perfectly round, but our teacher was a pro.
ПутешественникIn Panama 🇵🇦 we call it patacones 😊
Melanie MarksSame in Costa Rica.